OHP, TPD seeing increase in traffic deaths

3 years ago 342

TULSA, Okla. — Law enforcement is asking drivers to beryllium cautious connected roadways aft seeing an summation successful postulation deaths.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, determination was a 10 percent summation successful postulation deaths successful the archetypal portion of this twelvemonth and it’s nary antithetic present successful the Sooner State.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Eric Foster said, truthful far, determination are 57 much postulation fatalities successful Oklahoma this twelvemonth compared to past year.

“On authorities highways, adjacent our municipalities and tiny municipalities are reporting much fatalities successful areas wherever they had not seen them precise overmuch successful the past," Foster said.

In the City of Tulsa, constabulary accidental determination person already been much postulation fatalities this twelvemonth than each of past year.

“Right now, we’re already sitting astatine 47 for the calendar year," Lt. Paul Madden, postulation information coordinator for the Tulsa Police Dept. "The yearly mean is, for 12 months, is usually astir 45. And we’ve exceeded that already this calendar year.”

There are galore reasons for the summation successful postulation deaths from speeding to atrocious driving habits. Foster said with less radical traveling aboriginal successful the pandemic, immoderate of those connected the roadworthy started to velocity much and became assertive drivers.

He said they’ve besides seen a spike successful intoxicated drivers implicit the past 18 months. He said that accounts for a ample information of these crashes.

“Intoxicated driving different than alcohol, truthful different intoxicants, possibly ineligible substances even, are surpassing intoxicant DUIs," Foster said.

Both OHP and TPD are moving to marque roadways a safer place.

TPD brought backmost its postulation information coordinator presumption this month, which is filled by Lt. Madden.

“Chief Franklin saw the summation and decided that we had to bash thing wrong the section to beryllium precise circumstantial to code the problems and support the problems from occurring again," Madden said.

Meanwhile, OHP is battling a staffing shortage portion spreading retired troopers wherever it can.

“We’re doing peculiar accent wherever we’ll instrumentality troopers that are disconnected enactment and person them travel successful to enactment a circumstantial country astatine a circumstantial clip to effort to power these numbers," Foster said.

Distracted driving is different origin successful immoderate of these crashes. Trooper Foster said not to messiness with thing that takes your eyes disconnected the road. Driving harmless protects not lone you but besides those astir you.

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